Portugal Fires Prove World must Deal with Global Warming

A tragedy in Portugal demonstrates why the world needs to invest heavily in new energy solutions such as low energy nuclear reaction (LENR). Global warming might have led to the deaths of more than 60 innocent people.

Around 30 people were burned to death in their cars trying to escape what was described as a “raging inferno” on June 18, Portuguese Secretary of State Jorge Gomes told reporters. Another 31 died in their homes or on the fire lines trying to contain massive wildfires, The New York Timesreported.

The fires spread quickly because of drought that was caused by global warming. Portugal and Spain are experiencing a warmer and drier June than usual, Thomas Curt a researcher at France’s Irstea climate and agriculture research institute told Phys.org. Temperatures in the region have increased faster than the global average over the past 50 years.

Curt thinks that many parts of the world are at risk from megafires which consume more than 1,000 hectares. Such blazes can be almost impossible for firefighters to contain and overwhelm emergency responses, making evacuations impossible.

Summer of Fire 2017 Begins

America is also at risk for such fires. A fire near Bonanza, Utah had burned 4,000 acres on June 19, The Salt Lake Tribunereported. An entire town; Brian Head, Utah was evacuated because of a fire on June 17.

Fast moving brushfires in San Bernardino County, California, east of Los Angeles forced evacuations on June 19, The Los Angeles Timesreported. It looks as if Summer of Fire 2017 has begun and it is going to be a bad one

How LENR can help

A logical course of action to take right now is to greatly increase investment in new energy technologies such as LENR or cold fusion and hot fusion. Massive increases in research and development funding are needed now.

Another action that should be taken is a full official investigation of the LENR claims being made by inventors like Andrea Rossi and Brillouin’s Robert Godes. If these claims are proven, both government and investors such as Bill Gates should pour money into these technologies and get them commercialized fast.

If drastic action; in the form of Apollo Program or Manhattan Project type efforts, is not take now many more innocent people will die. One has to wonder how many innocent people will die before we take the threat of global warming seriously.